The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1887-09-15
SPIRITS AND LIouoRs.

The Cincinnati Commercial, the leading
organ of Governor Foraker is now demanding
the wiping out of the entire internal revenue
tax. As he has not yet denied that paper
speaks with his authority, it can be safely as
sumed that he is in favor of taking all taxes
from whiskey and tobacco. If he disagrees
with his organ, he should at once speak out
and let the fact be known.
In both of these propositions, in continuing
an unnecessary revenue, and in making whisky
bear no tax, the Republicans of Ohio are stand
ing almost alone. 1t is position condemned
by their leading candidate for President,
James G. Blaine. In a letter dated November
22. 1888, written to Charles Emory Smith, he
says, in speaking of continuing redundancy
of national revenue: This is opposed to all
sound views of administration. The govern
ment wants just enough revenue. redun-
dancy always leads to extravaganza, to many
1orms OF corruption, and to all manner of
schemes for getting rid of the money" 1.-The
time is rapidly approaching, however, when
by the terms in which the national debt is
funded the payment of the remainder must of
necessity be postponed for years. This brings
us to the necessity of reducing the national
revenue. The present system of taxation is
yielding more than a hundred millions beyond
the amount required for the ordinary expenses
of government. Its reduction lCtu soon become an
Imperative ditriy. Again, in the same letter
upon the proposition to keep up an oppressive
system of taxation, and let spirits go free, he
says:
"That would be a folly which no
other government in the world could,
by any possibility, commit. The tax on
spirits oppresses no one. 1t is paid only by the
consumer So far as the question of disposing
of redundant revenue and taxing spirits are
concerned, this is the only safe and sound posi-
tion. The experience of the civilized nations
of the world is that no two articles can so well
and safely bear taxation as spirits and tobacco.
Again in the national platform of 1872 the Re-
publican party expressly declared that the tax
upon tobacco aud liquors should be retained as
well as deriving revenue upon importations.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE DEMOCRATIC
AND REPUBLICAN, PARTIES OHIO
Upon the question is not only wide but clearly
marked We believe the surplus now in the
treasury should be applied to extinguishing
tie national debt or as soon as it can be done.
We believe that hereafter no surplus should be
permitted to accumulate; but taxation so re-
duced as to raise no more money than the gov
ernment requires. We believe the present
tariff system is both unequal and unjust in its
operations. We are in favor of having it
thoroughly revised and honestly reformed
We are in favor of having it so reduced that
the revenue derived from it will not be more
than sufficient to meet the expenses of the
government, the payment of the interest and
principal of the public debt and pensions,
which we have heretofore or may hereafter
grant to Union soldiers and sailors and their
dependent relatives. We further favor max
ing this reduction upon
ARTICLES OF NECESSITY,
And which enter into general consumption in
stead of luxuries. OF course it will be impos-
sible to enter into the details of this question
in general speech covering number of SUBJ
jects but in the course of the campaign it will be
thoroughly discussed in all its details, as it is
subject which demands and will receive large
attention. wish to say, however, that we not
only favor what have already stated but we
demand that the reduction proposed shall be
taken of from food, clothing and articles con-
sumed by every family instead of spirits and
liquors.
OUR GREATNESS.
Another proposition is undoubtedly true that
under such system as we propose the devel-
opment of our vast resources will greatly in
crease. We are now the largest agricultural
and manufacturing nation in the world, while
in the sum of all industries we are ahead of
all other nations. In 1880, our manufactured
products exceeded Great Britain by $3.50 100000.
We have the largest supplies of raw materioI
our exhaustless supplies of cheap coal; we
have the best machinery and the most intelli-
gent labor upon the earth (; we have all the
conditions necessary to give MS the supremacy
as a manufacturing people. Our own market
is not only fully supplied, but we have a large
and rapidly increasing surplus of products and
manufactures, which to be sold must find a
foreign market. A reduction of the tariff as
proposed would assist largely in removing the
I,
of our surplus products in foreign markets.
Their removal will set capital in motion by the
promise of better returns, enlarge the steady
employment and increase the wages of laborers,
and thus diffuse general prosperity.
THE LAND QUESTION
By another resolution, the republican party
at Toledo, declared, Sc that the public lands
of the United States should be sacredly held
for the use and benefit of actual settlers
alone"
This, means when applied to actual facts,
that they condemn the entire record of the
republican party while they were in control
of national affairs, and approve the admins
tration of President Cleveland and that of
every other Democratic administration which
came into power not one acre of the public
lands had ever been granted to railroads or
other corporations.
The Republican party inaugurated
a new policy and it was kept up
by that party until we find that
in round numbers 200, 900, 900 acres of the
public domain had been granted to railroad
corporations. 1t is difficult to give any ade-
quate idea of this vast extent of territory.
1t can only be done by comparison. 1t is
equal to nearly three times the size of Great
Britain and Ireland. 1t is equal to seven
states like Pennsylvania, or to eight states
like Ohio. You could carve out of it 4,000,-
900 of farms of fifty acres each, and give
one to each man, woman and child in the en-
tire State of Ohio. Upon This system of
vast land grants was given up the large hold
ings of real estate by other corporations,
syndicates and aliens, which the same
resolution with equal propriety now
condemns. After these grants had
been made, many of the railroad
corporations to whom they were given
never constructed their roads, or failed to do
so within the time named by the terms of the
grants.
WHAT THE DEMOCRATS HAVE DONE.